Typically, the primary source of electrical power for a consuming entity, e.g. a telecommunications facility, is commercial power from a utility. However, for an off-grid or weak-grid telecom facility, the main power source may include an engine-generator set, e.g. a diesel generator, and a battery pack that can be used in backup situations. For example, if power from the commercial utility is lost, the diesel generator can be activated to supply power to the telecom facility. Start-up of the diesel generator, however, takes time; therefore, the battery pack provides power during this transitional time period. In addition, if the diesel generator fails to start (e.g., runs out of fuel, suffers a mechanical failure), then the battery pack is able to provide power for an additional period of time. Though diesel generators are inexpensive to install, the escalating cost of diesel fuel and its delivery to remote locations has driven the search for alternative, economical solutions.
For example, certain telecom facilities employ a diesel-battery hybrid power system to conserve fuel where the primary power source is a diesel generator. In such a scenario, a long, life-cycle battery is used to alternately share the site load with the diesel generator. More specifically, during operation, the diesel generator is modulated on and off and, when it is active, powers the facility and recharges the battery at an overall higher efficiency than if powering the facility alone. Once the battery is recharged, the generator can be turned off and the battery is used to sustain the facility load. Such hybrid power systems have achieved fuel savings of up to 50% in some applications.
The hybrid power system also typically includes a battery management system (BMS) configured to manage the battery pack by protecting the cells contained therein from operating outside a safe operating area, monitoring its state, calculating secondary data, reporting that data, and/or controlling the battery environment. Typical objectives of the BMS, for example, may include protecting the cells from damage, prolonging the life of the battery, and/or maintaining the battery in a proper operating state such that it can fulfil the functional requirements of the application for which it was specified.
Typically, the battery pack and the BMS are electrically coupled together via a power connector. Conventional power connectors contain multiple components, including at least a metal, die cast box, positive and negative bus bars each containing an interface pin, a thermal pad, and a plastic bus bar retainer. The thermal pad is located against a bottom surface of the metal box and the bus bars are configured atop the thermal pad such that the pins extend within the metal box. The plastic bus bar retainer maintains the pins in the proper location within the metal box. Oftentimes, however, the metal box acts as a heat sink by drawing heat in from the battery pack and rejecting it into the BMS. In addition, the thermal pad, due to its thin configuration, can be susceptible to failures as even the smallest piece of debris between the pad and the metal box can cause an electrical short.
In view of the aforementioned, an improved battery-to-BMS power connector would be desired in the art. Thus, the present disclosure is directed to a simplified power connector having less component parts, as well as improved air cooling across the power connection.